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Updated: June 11, 2025
The shower was hailed by the reckless tars with a hurricane of yells; although, for an instant, I really imagined we were about being swamped in the sea, such volumes of water came cascading down. A day or two after, we had made sufficient Easting to stand to the northward, which we did, with the wind astern; thus fairly turning the corner without abating our rate of progress.
We were glad to find that the Darling held a general northerly course, or one somewhat to the westward of that point, for we had during the last three or four days made a great deal of easting, and I had thus been prevented making the rapid progress I anticipated to Laidley's Ponds.
At the same time, it was quite possible that any progress we succeeded in making, instead of tending towards her liberation, might perhaps be only getting her deeper into the scrape. One thing was very certain, Northing or Southing might be an even chance, but whatever EASTING we could make must be to the good; so I determined to choose whichever vein seemed to have most Easterly direction in it.
Paul's, a distance of 2840 miles. Another couple of days, and she had made about sufficient easting, and began to shape her course towards the north the "sunny north." A few short extracts from the journal will give sufficient idea of the period thus passed through: October 16th. Lat. 35.23; Long. 89.55; no observations for current; distance some 135 miles.
It is true that Captain Bruce found no variables on his traverse, and that he "never could make easting on either tack." It was the variables or nothing with us, and we prayed for better luck than he had had.
We sailed with a regular westerly roarer astern of us, to which the `old man' I mean the capt'n, sir, showed every rag that would draw, up to to'gallant stunsails, and the skipper kept well to the south'ard, hoping to make all the easting that he wanted out of that westerly wind.
Quadrants and sextants were the invention of a much later period. Indeed, considering that they had so little knowledge of navigation and the variation of the compass, and that their easting and westing could only be computed by dead reckoning, it is wonderful how our ancestors traversed the ocean in the way they did, with comparatively so few accidents.
For the next few days we made good progress, drifting seven miles to the north on November 24 and another seven miles in the next forty- eight hours. We were all very pleased to know that although the wind was mainly south-west all this time, yet we had made very little easting.
Our desire was to make easting as well as southing so as to reach the land, if possible, east of Ross's farthest South and well east of Coats' Land. This was more important as the prevailing winds appeared to be to easterly, and every mile of easting would count. In the afternoon we went west in some open water, and by 4 p.m. we were making west-south- west with more water opening up ahead.
If I am any judge of the weather, the wind will have more easting in it, than you may happen to find to your fancy." "And how long do you think my voyage is likely to last?" demanded Wilder, dropping his voice so low as to reach no ears but those of the publican.
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